ELIJAH: “FAITH ON THE RUN”
Text: I Kings 17-19

One can only look at the life of Elijah with a certain amount of awe and attraction. He was a dynamic prophet, warrior, and ambassador for God’s great cause. Yet in the New Testament we are told he was just like us [James 5:17]. From the powerful denunciation in the throne room of a king…to a café served by black birds by a creek…and then on to the backside of nowhere in a widow’s home all the way up on a mountain top for a fiery showdown of the gods to an arduous run for his very life… we follow the breathless journey of this servant of God.

Yet… there is a side of Elijah that is often forgotten… his experience with stewardship. Elijah learned both sides of the stewardship experience… “Receiving & Giving.” In our four weeks together during this stewardship month we want to follow the prophet around and learn some stewardship essentials for our own lives. Join us on the journey together. When our journey is complete it is our prayer that: We will love God more fervently and practice stewardship more faithfully.

"GOING BEYOND..." [...OUR BOUNDARIES]

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

The church has had some influence in the realms of education, health care, social reform, and politics.  But the primary task of the church is not in those things.  The primary agenda of the church is to take the Gospel across the street and around the world.  That requires going beyond our immediate boundaries.  The text of Acts 1:8 shows us ever widening concentric circles of advancement that God intends for the church.  The tough news is that it takes effort, sacrifice, and it will often be accompanied by trouble and extreme difficulty.  But the good news is that we do not go beyond our boundaries in our own power.  We have been given the presence and vitality of the Holy Spirit Himself.

In our series together in the month of January we are going to examine some specific instances in which the church went beyond its boundaries in the book of Acts.  These examples are going to help us move beyond our own boundaries to share the good news of Christ.  And we are going to discover the necessity of the power of the Holy Spirit to do so.